


Overflow

by grainjew



Category: Wander Over Yonder
Genre: Agender Wander, Ficlet, Gen, anyways that's out of the way, it's like about 1000 words that still counts as a ficlet right, they use they/them pronouns, they're not mad at sylvie they're the opposite of mad at sylvie, uh also I just realized that the quote I put for the summary kinda implies they're mad at sylvie?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-05
Updated: 2016-04-05
Packaged: 2018-05-31 13:05:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6471034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grainjew/pseuds/grainjew
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“It’ll be alright,” said Wander in a low voice, oddly maternal. She could hardly hear them through the haze of pain.<br/>And then their expression changed, all the kind softness that was always so present rippling away like it had never been there, and every one of Sylvia’s senses was suddenly on high alert, screaming at her to <i>get away run run run.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Overflow

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly this is so self-indulgent I'm kind of hesitant to post it, it was basically entirely written so that I could make Wander be scary, because I'm trash and the subtle terrifyingness they have in the show (see: telling that river to shut up in "The Night") clearly wasn't enough for me, I had to make it overt and stick a bunch of headcanons in at the same time
> 
> sorry fandom, I guess

“SYLVIA!” screamed Wander, loud enough to compete with the whistling of wind in her ears. She impacted the wall of Dominator’s throne room hard enough that she felt something crack, and then a few seconds later the delayed pain of a broken rib surged through her body. Added on top of the bruises and Dominator’s special searing burns of magma and numbing burns of ice, it was almost more than she could bear. Oh. She was screaming. Strike out the almost.

“Syl?” asked Wander, tentative.

_-when did they get this close to me?-_ She tried to smile, but it came out closer to a grimace.

“It’ll be alright,” they said in a low voice, oddly maternal. She could hardly hear them through the haze of pain.

And then their expression changed, all the kind softness that was always so present rippling away like it had never been there, and every one of Sylvia’s senses was suddenly on high alert, screaming at her to _get away run run run_ . The flat fury etched on her best friend’s face wasn’t akin to anything she’d ever seen from them, or anything she’d ever _imagined_ from them, and it was almost a relief to see them turn away from her.

“Dominator,” they said, their voice hard. “I tried to give you a welcome gift. I held out hope for you. I gave you the benefit of the doubt, despite everything you’ve done. But I am completely out of patience and good will.” They slipped out of the magma manacles that held their hands behind their back easy as breathing, then whipped their hat off their head. “Hurting Sylvia like that is absolutely not acceptable.” Wander’s back was to Sylvia, so she couldn’t see what they were doing, but the glare they were throwing across the room was nearly palpable in its intensity, even from behind. “I haven’t been this absolutely furious in, oh, a couple thousand years at least.”

_-WHAT?-_

Dominator sighed. “Haven’t we been over this already? I’m _the bad guy_ . And besides,” she giggled, “ _you’re_ a thousand years old? _You_?”

“Oh, I'm much older than that,” said Wander, without even a hint of mockery.

_-process this later, process this later, Wander needs help, thousands of years old or not they can’t take on Dominator on their own-_

“Whatever,” said Dominator, and suddenly Wander wasn’t in front of Sylvia anymore, just as ice crackled through the air right where they had been, slamming into the wall above Sylvia’s head.

_-ouch okay don’t sit up that fast Sylvia, you’ve got this, Wander needs you-_

She saw everything through half-slitted eyes and gritted teeth as she pushed herself to sitting, bracing as best as she could - _Wander needs you-_ against all the pains wracking her body. Streams and splashes and whip-thin streaks of orange-red and blue-white flickered across the room, and darting between them was a small blur of orange, somehow unharmed.

Wait.

Were they headed _towards_ Lord Dominator?

“Wander!” screamed Sylvia, but her voice didn’t work, so they didn’t hear. Not that she held out much hope that they would have listened anyways.

_-gotta protect Wander they need me gotta stand up so I can help them they need me I’m a tough zbornak lady I can deal with this pain I can do this for Wander ouch okay take it slowly no no no gotta hurry just stand Wander needs me I’m in no state to defend them does that matter they need me there’s the wall lean against it for a few seconds-_

She opened her eyes to Wander standing uncowering in front of Dominator _-why isn’t she attacking where did the ice and lava go-_ staring levelly at her, hat back on their head. Sylvia’s legs started trembling with the effort of holding her up. She ignored them.

And then Wander reached up and pressed something to Dominator’s armor and all the glow was gone from the ship, the armor, the bots hanging around, all the fixings and furnishings and unnecessarily dramatic flows of lava. The only thing still giving off light was whatever it was that Wander was holding. They looked at it a moment longer and then stuck it in their hat and pulled out a... flashlight? Probably a flashlight.

_-what’s going on?-_

Flicking it on, they said, “I’ll just leave you tied up here. If you still insist on acting like an awful person after today, I’ll be really disappointed, but your choices and their consequences are your own.” They turned away. “Sylvia, let’s--”

The world went black.

 

She woke to the distinctively sterile feel of a hospital bed, scratchy covers pulled up over her chest by some careful hand, flat pillows under her head.

“Wander?” Her voice was fuzzy, and she couldn’t quite make her eyes focus, even in this low light.

“Sylvia!” A smile burst into existence directly above her face, and she startled a little. “I knew you’d be alright!”

“Did you bring me here?” She paused. “Uh, where’s here?”

“A hospital on Sffindix, in the Tal system. It was the closest I could find.” The smile turned into a frown. “I was really worried about you, Syl.”

“So worried that you took on Dominator on your own and _won_?” She was about seventy-percent sure that wasn’t a dream, despite the complete absurdity of the statement.

Another blink, and Wander’s face swam a bit more into focus. They looked sheepish.

“Sorry. I mean yeah, I did. I was really angry, Syl.” Their voice trembled. “I don’t like being angry like that. It scares me. It’s so much better to be happy.”

“I’d hug you if I could move my arms, buddy. Besides, you didn't hurt her, did you? You're still you.” Sylvia could feel herself slipping back into sleep, and she struggled to keep her eyes open. “I just have one thing to ask. How old are you, really?”

“Uh, well, you see…”

She was asleep before she could hear the answer.


End file.
